Note: This Domino Cubes recipe was originally part of my Biscuit Advent Calendar, a one-recipe-a-day email series in December. You can find the other recipes and sign up for the next round if you want here.
Welcome to the final day of my biscuit advent calendar. I can’t quite believe how fast this advent has flown by. Yet here we are. To be honest I didn’t know how this would turn out. A few months ago I gave this a first thought. Back then my idea was to throw the dice, pick 24 countries from the world map and bake one of their iconic biscuits/small sweets (not necessarily Christmassy ones obviously). Well…I discarded that idea because I just didn’t have enough time to research and bake 24 recipes I never tried before. Maybe next year.
So this was a softer start: only recipes that I have already baked.
Apart from today that is: I said in an earlier email that I try something new every year and this is it.
It’s late now but you can keep it maybe for next year (unless you feel very ambitious).
Today is about Dominosteine (domino cubes). They are another true German Christmas classic: little chocolate-covered cubes that are layered with gingerbread, jelly, and marzipan. And you know that when something is a classic then there’s large scale agreement it’s delicious.
Most Germans know Dominosteine as something you buy in the shop rather than make at home. They have been sold on a large scale in West Germany since the 1970s but this is not when they were invented.
In fact, they come from Dresden, my university hometown and the recipe is from the early 1930s. They were created by baker Herbert Wendler as a fancy looking but cheapish to make Christmas praline to spread holiday cheer without breaking the bank. I have been wanting to make something that is associated with Dresden that is not Stollen and I was pleasantly surprised when I found this connection.
Dresden has had a turbulent time since the invention of the Dominostein. Being on the wrong side of history, it was bombed heavily in early 1945, which caused a firestorm that destroyed much of the old city. The Frauenkirche (church of our lady) was reduced to rubble and left in the town square as a pile of stones for half a century- not exactly a Soviet priority. Between 1994 and 2005 it was rebuilt although when I arrived there in 2002 I saw it very much still as a ruin.
Today, the church is a symbol for tolerance, peace and resilience. The old town square is almost unrecognisable compared to even twenty five years ago.
At the same time, it’s hard not to notice where the world seems to be heading. Political discourse has grown louder and sharper in the last decade, and peace feels increasingly fragile.
For me, baking is a tiny counter-gesture. Making something with your hands. Sharing it in person and on paper.
And despite everything that isn’t going right, I fundamentally believe in the goodness of humanity. And that belief isn’t theoretical.
I found a second family a few thousand miles away as an exchange student (and that wasn’t a story without some drama). I hitchhiked across Eastern Europe being driven around and even hosted and given city tours by people I only just met. I once crashed my car (nobody was hurt but the car was totalled) and was taken in for the night by a complete stranger, who then drove me to the garage and the train station the next day.
None of these people owed me anything. And looking back, these situations had something in common: I had either voluntarily (or not) dropped my usual shield of defensiveness that we are told to cultivate in the name of safety.
We’re often taught that in order to be a positive influence we need to be doing good deeds. Help. Volunteer. Be useful. And yes, that matters a lot.
But it isn’t only about what we give. Some of the best things in life are free: kindness, hospitality, connection. And yet many of us struggle far more with receiving than with giving, so we try to attach a price to them. Letting something in requires trust. It means lowering our defences.
A lot of what gets in the way is fear: the fear of asymmetry, of owing something back, of not having proven our worth yet. It risks turning everything into a transaction.
I try to walk through the world with an open heart and an open mind. Not expecting it to be kind -expectation so easily turns into resentment- but keeping the door open. And when I manage that, the effects often surprise me.
And now that I have dispensed my Christmas speech let’s get on with the baking. This is not a quick bake. But it’s definitely lower effort than Baumkuchen. The stage that takes most of the time is dipping all those cubes in chocolate.
The recipe below is for a 20cmx30cm tin. I scaled it to 75% in a 19cm x 24cm frame. (I used the leftover egg as egg wash for yesterday’s Sauerrahmplätzchen so I only needed one egg in total).
Also, I got away with exactly one jar of quince jam for the middle layer (the one I bought was 370 g).
Dominosteine (Domino Cubes) Recipe
Makes 80-100
Ingredients
- Gingerbread layer
- 150 g plain flour
- 50 g butter
- 100 g honey
- 15 g sugar
- 1 egg
- 1.5 tsp gingerbread spice
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- Jelly layer
- 500 g quince jelly or other jam
- 6 leaves gelatin (ca 2tsp powdered OR instant (suitable for hot liquids)) OR agar *
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Marzipan layer
- 200 g marzipan (50% almonds)
- 100 g ground walnuts
- 1 tbsp sherry/port (optional)
- Decoration
- 500 g dark chocolate (yes, more than you think you need) or chocolate glaze
- 50 g white chocolate
- sprinkles as needed (optional)
*Gelatin strengths vary, you should use enough gelatin to set 500ml of liquid according to packet instructions. If you are using agar, reduce the quantities to set 400ml. Agar sets differently from gelatin in terms of mouthfeel: your body temperature starts melting gelatin as you eat it while agar doesn’t.
Instructions
Gingerbread Layer
Preheat your oven to 180°C conventional. Line the bottom of a 20 cm x 30 cm baking tin (if you don’t have one that size, scale your recipe accordingly.) You can also use a glass dish but then the baking time extends. You need to be able to lift out the assembled slab later so leave some extra baking paper as ‘handles’ if you have a solid tray.
Place the spices, honey and sugar in a pot until dissolved. Take it off the stove and stir in the butter as well so it melts. Wait until the mixture is only warm, then sift and fold in the flour and baking powder and mix in the egg.
Pour into the tin. It might not look like a lot but it’s enough. Try to make it as level as you can.
Bake immediately at 180°C conventional for 12-15 minutes. Let the gingerbread cool fully.
Jelly Layer
Heat the jam and lemon juice. The order and intensity depend on your setting agent. Setting agent: Follow the packet instructions, both gelatin and agar come in different strengths. If using agar, add it before heating the jam (dissolve it in the lemon juice first). It needs simmering/boiling to activate. For gelatin add it after heating the jam, never boil it. If you are using leaves, soak them in a bowl of cold (you want them to soften, not dissolve) water. For powdered gelatin, soak it in a little bit of cold water (as much as the packet says, not too much). And for instant gelatin make sure you have a type that’s suitable for hot liquids and just add it directly. If your jam has chunks in it then smooth it with an immersion blender- or sieve it. Pour over the cooled gingerbread. Let it set for at least four hours or overnight.
Marzipan Layer
Knead the ground walnuts and sherry (if using) into the marzipan and roll it between two layers of clingfilm* to the size of your tin. Take off one side of clingfilm and drop it on top of the jelly layer (and don’t forget to take off the other clingfilm, too).
* This is my preferred method. It’s less messy than using icing sugar and rolling directly on a worktop. Moreover, I can roll the marzipan long before I need it: the clingfilm prevents it from drying out and becoming brittle and more difficult to handle. You can also roll it out inside a big freezer bag or layers of baking parchment. All options have advantages and drawbacks.
Decoration
Take the assembled slab out of the tray and cut it into 2.5cm cubes. I mark the cuts with a ruler first and use a long knife. But you can do it approximately of course.
Melt the chocolate (lazy tempering see Day 16) and dip the whole cubes into chocolate brushing off extra chocolate on the side of the bowl. As there are so many cubes and the chocolate accumulates crumbs over time, I do this in two goes. At the end you can add some white chocolate lines (especially to hide your imperfect temper) and sprinkles if you want. Let everything set fully (I carry the grids into the basement where it’s cool).
Pack them gently into tins or boxes and separate with a layer of baking paper. These make a great present (unless you give them to someone who doesn’t like chocolate or marzipan…or you have children who do and eat them all.)
Enjoy!!
I still want to show you my sprinkle ‘protagonists’. It feels a bit like actors coming on stage after a play and here they are:
Yes, there are sprinkles all over my and my husband’s desk. He’s being tolerant about it but I am looking forward to giving it all a good hoover : )
And of course there has to be a picture of my final biscuit plate. All the images I have sent to you in this newsletter are my own. But I didn’t have pictures for all the recipes when I started because I am a bit of a lousy documenter (hard to believe, huh?) so I baked along sometimes for the photo-op. Other times, I just wanted to make sure that the recipe I wrote down is correct. Or in the case of the pistachio biscuits I wanted an improvement. I can guarantee you that if any errors got in (and they probably did), then it’s a typo and not because my recipe doesn’t work. And if you do find those mistakes or instructions are unclear drop me a line, please. I would like to compile all the recipes and the fewer errors the better, of course.
For me baking is many things rolled into one: a beloved hobby, a way of keeping alive traditions. A creative outlet, a way to share joy. An outlet for my inner Chemist. I also really like to cook but I think I love baking -sweets in particular- because it is essentially superfluous. Nobody NEEDS cake. It’s not a matter of survival. And think about it: just like the best things in life are free, the funnest things in life don’t need a grand purpose but just exist..for the fun of it.
Writing a newsletter every single day complete with images was tough at times. But right now, I keep finding myself editing this email again and again, because I find it hard to let go of the project.
I wish you a very happy Christmas and a wonderful new year.
Thank you for reading
Make biscuits, not war
Konstanze
PS: If you do happen to bake, have baked, will bake: I’d love to see and hear. If you have any questions, ask away. Don’t be a stranger, you have my email address.